The State News - October 11, 2022 - Homecoming Edition

SPARTANS BRING THE

Michigan State University celebrates 108 years of homecoming from Oct. 10-15. From the cherished annual homecoming parade to the anticipated annual football game, Spartans will partake in various green-andwhite activities.

the 2022 homecoming court

These 12 students have been selected to represent MSU as members of this year’s homecoming court, an achievement considered to be one of the highest honors for seniors.

Two student magicians share the art of the trick

Freshman Preston Lyford and sophomore Connor Croft are both practicing magicians who find joy in sharing the magic in their everyday lives – not just for homecoming week.

Dantonio’s final years hurt MSU, but Tucker’s defense has to be better

Darqueze Dennard. Trae Waynes. Kurtis Drummond. Those are just a few of the names that made up Michigan State’s “No Fly Zone” back in the glory days of Mark Dantonio’s program.

The

Green” in honor of MSU homecoming week. Photo courtesy of MSU Photography Services

Voted to codify Roe and supports the constitutional ballot initiative (prop 3!) that would ensure access to abortion in Michigan.

Voted for legislation to make green energy cheaper, and wants Michigan to build the next generation of electric vehicles. Authored bipartisan gun safety legislation to require firearms be stored safely if there is a child in the home.

GENERAL MANAGER Christopher Richert

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Michigan

Lauren Debeau

win against University of Michigan at DeMartin Stadium

Spartans

COURT

By Noah Edgar nedgar@statenews.com

Every year, 10 to 12 students are selected to represent MSU as members of the homecoming court. These students are selected based on a number of qualities including leadership abilities, school spirit, integrity and their contribution and involvement on campus.

The MSU alumni office said being selected to represent MSU as a member of the homecoming court is considered “one of the highest honors for seniors.”

Here are the 12 students who have been selected this year.

Marshall, Michigan. She is enrolled in a dual-degree program and is looking to secure a slot in medical school. Working in a lab in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, she researches human gut biota, looking at the impact a mother’s bacteria has on the baby’s development.

“The environment of MSU just made me want to give back and represent other students,” Russell said.

“And hopefully give other students a better idea of what MSU is like.”

criminal justice from South Texas College. She currently serves as the Chicanx Latinx Association representative for Culturas de las Razas Unidas, or CRU, the largest Latinx organization on campus, where she serves as a liaison between undergraduate and graduate students.

“Because my dad is an immigrant and my mom didn’t have the means to finish school in Mexico, so I knew how important it is to get involved,” Herrera said.

is a diversity, equity and inclusion intern at the MSU Honors College. Since this summer, she has worked as a Constituent Services intern for the Executive Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“I realized that there were barely any international students who were not STEM majors,” Kaur said. “In that sense, there isn’t a lot of representation ... in the international students sphere, so I wanted to see if I could be that representation.”

Representatives Democratic Caucus and a business place and development internship for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership. He recently wrapped up his internship with the Executive Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a communications intern.

“I kind of view this as the culmination of my four years of studying at Michigan State University,” Crawford said.

“I’m definitely a Spartan through and through.”

representative and were elected as the vice president for Internal Administration in 2021.

“I think a lot of the time it’s really easy for alumni and people to just look at Michigan State and things that students do and automatically disapprove,” Kovach said.

“I really try to show that students, more students than not, are people to be proud of.”

MADELEINE RUSSELL

Microbiology senior

Madeleine Russell is from

Criminal justice senior Leeslie Herrera is from Mission, Texas. Before coming to MSU, she earned an associate degree in

HARNOOR KAUR

Criminal justice and political science senior Harnoor Kaur is from Chandigarh, India. She worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Political Science and Criminal Justice department and

ZACHARY CRAWFORD

Public policy senior Zachary Crawford is from West Bloomfield, Michigan. He’s held several internships off campus, such as a constituent services internship for the Michigan House of

JO KOVACH

Social relations and policy senior Jo Kovach is from Riverview, Michigan. This spring, they were elected as the ASMSU President. They began working for ASMSU in 2020 as the James Madison College general assembly

ELLIE BADEN

Ellie Baden is a senior from Buffalo Grove, Illinois with three majors: political theory and constitutional democracy, social relations and policy and interdisciplinary humanities. She is currently a James Madison College representative on the Student Sustainability Leadership

MSU HOMECOMING THROUGH THE YEARS

LEESLIE HERRERA

Council and is the Vice President of Communication for MSU SciComm.

“I really love the university, and I was excited to represent it,” Baden said. “This is an opportunity for me to do that.”

younglings, ... ‘Hey, there’s people like you,’” Chahal said.

HARSNA CHAHAL

Neuroscience and human biology senior Harsna Chahal comes from Okemos, Michigan. She serves as the president of the MSU Spartan Association for Public Health –dedicating her time to helping a free daycare for single moms trying to get back to school or work.

Last spring, she gave a TED talk at TEDxMSU to bring awareness on how to tackle period poverty and taboos. This summer, she worked as a health legislative intern at the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

“Applying to Homecoming Court is not just an honor, but it’s a way to show the

MARISSA BURK

Accounting senior Marissa Burk is from Naperville, Illinois. She currently serves as a student supervisor for the MSU Tours Program as well as an undergraduate learning assistant for the Residential Business Community. As someone with food allergies, Burk has spent her time raising awareness for different types of disabilities, hosting an Instagram takeover for Eat at State and the RCPD and participating in other advocacy events through Eat at State.

“I wanted the opportunity to represent MSU now, and this is going to be an important time in my life,” Burk said. “I don’t want my involvement with MSU to stop.”

ISHAAN MODI

Senior Ishaan Modi is from Fishers, Indiana, double majoring in social relations and policy and history, philosophy, and sociology of science. He is currently on the pre-med track and studying for the MCAT exam.

During his time at ASMSU, Modi has advocated for his constituents through drafting legislation and serving as the voice for MSU’s 40,000 undergraduate students at the local, state and federal level.

“It’s a huge honor ... you’re an ambassador for the university,” Modi said.

“It’s really cool to have that visibility and to be able to amplify things I’m passionate about.”

MCKENNA ADAMS

Animal science senior McKenna Adams is from Saginaw, Michigan. According to the MSU Alumni Office, she is the vice president of MSU’s Pre-Veterinary Medical Association, where she creates educational opportunities in the veterinary medical industry for the students in the club. In her first year at MSU, Adams served as a Residence Halls Association representative for the West Circle Hall Government.

GO

JADE ELDER

Senior Jade Elder is from Wayne, Michigan double majoring in communication and interdisciplinary studies of social science. According to the MSU Alumni Office, she is also a Social Science Scholar who researches the impacts of mass incarceration on youth and migration studies. She currently dedicates her time to being the service vice president for the Spartan Alternative Spring Break program, where she helps plan domestic and international community service trips for students.

GREEN!

ERIN SAWYER

Psychology and data science senior Erin Sawyer is from Farmington Hills, Michigan.

On campus, Sawyer is heavily involved with undergraduate research as the lab manager at MSU’s Sleep and Learning Lab, where she oversees lab operations and is currently investigating the relationship between sleep deprivation, circadian rhythms and higherorder cognitive processes.

“My passion for this university drives my interaction with the campus and its community,” Sawyer said in a text message. “This feels like the culmination of my journey at MSU, and I’m so excited to share my experiences as one snapshot of the people who call themselves Spartans.”

Adams and Elder did not respond to requests for an interview at the time of publication.

The Spartan student section celebrates during the Spartans’ 48-31 homecoming win against Western Kentucky on Oct. 2, 2021. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez

Environmental studies and sustainability senior Ben Fischer smiles during the Homecoming Parade on Oct. 2, 2015, in front of Phi Kappa Psi on Abbot Road in East Lansing. State News

File Photo BELOW: Political science sophomore Aaron Meek yells a chant with other members of the Color Guard during the Homecoming Parade on Oct. 14, 2016 along Abbot Road. State News File Photo

ABOVE: A horse and chariot at the MSU Homecoming Parade on October 1, 2021, on Farm Lane in East Lansing. Photo by Lauren Snyder

MSU alumni share their homecoming traditions

By Maggie George mgeorge@statenews.com

The hearts of Michigan State University alumni are captured every year by annual homecoming celebrations. Festivities like campus-wide tailgates, parades through East Lansing and the homecoming football game attract hundreds of former Spartans.

Alumni venture from far and wide to reconnect with old friends and remember their love for their alma mater.

To start a trip and respark the connection to MSU, a drive through campus is a must for many. The changing landscape of both campus and the city continue to surprise returning alumni.

“The tallest thing used to be a parking garage and now you

guys have high rises all over the place – it’s great,” alumnus Justin Weintraub said.

Weintraub lived in a house on Elm Street during his time at MSU and likes to visit his old stomping grounds to see who resides there now.

“Back when I lived on Elm Street, we’d always have alumni that ended up parking in front of us in the few years I lived there that would come back for homecoming every year,” Weintraub said. “I actually ran into them once when I was back visiting, which was really fun.”

When Weintraub first visited the school, he fell in love with the campus. Being immersed in MSU’s atmosphere brings back that feeling.

“It’s always joy,” Weintraub said. “Just like pure,

childhood joy.”

Re-touring a changing campus builds up an appetite, so the next stop is often to grab a bite to eat. Alumnus Tyler Beck lived on campus all five years he attended Michigan State, and said he misses the accessibility of the dining plan.

“Whenever I can, I like to go back to Brody Square,” Beck said. “I mean, you’re never gonna have that again.”

Classic bars such as Crunchy’s East Lansing are also a common dining spot. Many alumni say the dive’s burgers are what brings them back.

“Usually there’s a trip to Crunchy’s,” Weintraub said. “Which is … I think the best alumni place at MSU.”

Georgio’s Pizza also makes the list for many homecoming

visits. The by-the-slice pizzeria was a common landing spot for alumnus Steven Culp after nights out at The Riviera Café – popularly known as “The Riv.”

“When I was at MSU, Georgio’s was a place we went to … most Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights,” Culp said.

Speaking of night life, many alumni opt to relive their latenight memories while back in East Lansing.

Two bars stand out as mustvisits: Rick’s American Café and The Riv.

Weintraub jokingly said that he wouldn’t regard Rick’s as a place he remembers fondly.

“Rick’s never seems to change,” Weintraub said. “The Riv never changes either, in the best way.”

During Culp’s time at MSU,

Rick’s featured $1 pitchers as a special on Fridays. With their spot held all afternoon, more and more friends would visit as the day progressed.

“Friday happy hour was absolutely a must by our group,” Culp said. “We went as far as to figure out who could go get our table Friday at 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock.”

Not all alumni opt for sticky floors and cheap drinks. Beck said he strays away from those college bars when he visits.

“I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to The Riv or Rick’s since I graduated,” Beck said.

Regardless of their agenda, one thing is for certain – what continues to bring alumni back on homecoming weekend is their love for MSU.

BRINGING THE MAGIC TO MSU: 2 student magicians share the art of the trick

By Jack Armstrong jarmstrong@statenews.com

True to this year’s homecoming theme, some students are quite literally “bringing the magic.”

Theatrical and film acting freshman Preston Lyford and statistics and political theory sophomore Connor Croft are both practicing magicians, who find joy in sharing the magic in their everyday lives –not just for homecoming week.

PRESTON LYFORD

Lyford placed a deck of cards in my hands and told me to hold them still. He used my phone to take a picture of me and my handful of cards and handed the phone back to me. When I held the cards, it seemed as though half of the deck faced him, and the other half faced me. However, the photo on my phone showed only a single card facing towards Lyford – the ten of hearts, the very same card I had selected, without any influence from the deck moments before.

Lyford, from Kalamazoo, adapted the trick himself from a similar act. He’s appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” “West Michigan’s Got Talent” and is slated to appear on the next season of “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” – a TV show for aspiring magicians to try their best acts in front of the famous comedymagic duo.

But his beginnings as a magician were much more modest, he said. It all started at 10 years old when he received a deck of cards as a gift during a family vacation to Lake Tahoe. Lyford thought it would be more interesting to teach himself a magic trick

than a card game. He laughed while recalling the memory.

“I went upstairs and I showed it to my parents and my grandparents, and they were like ‘Wow, very cool,’ sarcastically,” Lyford said.

But Lyford was undeterred. He liked the idea of performing, of showing people something unexpected and about a year or two later, he received a call for his first performance: a six-hour, outdoor act at a festival for elementary school kids.

“That led to me knowing that yes, I can do this, professionally, and get paid,” Lyford said.

After performing birthday parties, corporate events, fundraisers and festivals in Kalamazoo, Lyford does consider himself a professional. He said after eight years of work, he feels he can call himself a magician rather than someone who performs magic.

“A painter needs that experience to earn the title of painter,” Lyford said.

“Those couple years, he just paints … running into those experiences, the heckling, the messing up.”

But Lyford is not drawn to magic for the money. He does it to bring joy to others and for his love of performing a scripted, engaging show as a self-described introvert.

A part of him comes alive when he’s performing. It’s like putting on a mask and becoming a different person, like watching a different version of himself perform onstage.

His stage persona is charismatic, funny and engaging. His performance of the trick involving my phone

and the deck of cards was smooth and well-rehearsed and he misdirected us with jokes before finally revealing the final result.

When he appears on “Penn & Teller,” Lyford will debut an original act he’s been experimenting with for four years called “Insomnia.”

The act involves a series of increasingly complicated shapes displayed in the shadow of a bright light, using a sleight of hand. He came up with the idea while doing homework late one night. True to the act’s name, he only works on it between the hours of 3 and 5 a.m. Early versions of the act can be found on Lyford’s Instagram.

Now, ahead of his upcoming

TV appearance, Lyford will focus on bringing his magic to East Lansing – he’s already starting to book some gigs.

CONNOR CROFT

Croft pretended to show me a deck of cards on the table in front of me, spread out and shuffled – but there wasn’t any cards there. The table was empty.

Then, he asked us to pick a card. Our photographer pretended to select a card from the invisible deck, “showed” it to me and placed it back on the table.

Croft asked what card she selected from the pile. She told him it was a seven of spades, and he reached into his pocket, pulled out a real deck of cards

and spread them across the table. Only one of the 54 cards was facedown.

Croft flipped it over. It was the seven of spades.

Croft doesn’t see himself making a career out of magic, although he said he probably could if he wanted to, but his pursuit of perfection is the mark of a true professional.

When Croft was 10 years old, he attended Sandy Hill summer camp in Maryland, where he took a magic class.

“I loved it so much, every single year, I went back, and I did magic there,” Croft said.

The camp got him started, but his desire to improve and perform in front of others kept him going. Croft said he’s not a big stage person – he likes intimate, close-up tricks for a small audience.

He’s performed at some birthday parties, but prefers not to be paid; the fun of it and the impact on the kids is enough, he said.

While some might question why a statistics and political theory student would find so much joy in the art of magic, Croft sees his analytical mind as an advantage.

Croft doesn’t typically employ much whimsy. He likes to talk his audience through what he’s doing in a logical way without revealing too much. But he excels at the trick, the part of his act that requires working toward a desired effect, the analysis that leads him to observe his audience member’s faces each time he performs, trying to discern what works and what doesn’t.

“Shoutout to my parents on that one because they’ve seen the mess of a trick,” Croft said.

“As I try and refine it, they’ve seen the same trick tens of times before I show it to a single person.”

This dedication to refinement is all in pursuit of one goal: pleasing his audience.

“I do want to get better, but I want to get better for the people,” Croft said. “I want to get better so other people have a better trick to see and have a better impact on their lives.”

When creating a trick, Croft said he works in reverse, beginning with the final effect of the trick and moving backward to a logical starting point.

He wants to find a career in statistical analysis, so it adds up that one of the tricks he performed after his interview included correctly selecting a series of numbered cards that corresponded to the answer of a math problem we supplied numbers for.

For the past two years, Croft has worked as a counselor and lead magician at Sandy Hill, the place that got him started. One of the highlights in his experience as a magician came last summer, when a returning camper told Croft that he had become invested in magic since the previous summer, and had held his first show recently.

“It was just so crazy that my teaching had an impact on that kid, that he went and did his own first show,” Croft said.

Now, the young magicians Croft is teaching give him another reason for his endless chase for improvement. He wants to keep working at it so he has better tricks for the kids and can leave a bigger impact on them.

Theatrical and film acting freshman Preston Lyford poses for a portrait at The State News on Oct. 4. Photo by Annie Barker

“The tallest thing used to be a parking garage and now you guys have high rises all over the place –it’s great.”

Justin Weintraub MSU alumnus

By Alex Faber afaber@statenews.com

Darqueze Dennard. Trae Waynes. Kurtis Drummond.

Those are just a few of the names that made up Michigan State’s “No Fly Zone” back in the glory days of Mark Dantonio’s program.

Those elite defensive units guided Dantonio’s Spartans to multiple Big Ten Titles, a Rose Bowl win and a playoff berth.

After years of excellence under Dantonio, Michigan State fans became accustomed to a certain level of execution on the defensive side of the ball.

In 2013, during the Rose Bowl season, MSU’s defense was the fourth best in the nation, allowing just 274.38 yards per game. The unit finished eighth in 2015, giving up an average of 315.8 yards per game.

Even in the twilight years of Dantonio’s career, the defense was dependable. In 2018, when Michigan State finished with a 7-6 record, the defense was ranked No. 9 in the nation. In Dantonio’s final year as head coach,

the unit finished 36th.

Under Head Coach Mel Tucker, Michigan State’s defense has yet to finish inside the top-50. This season, Tucker’s defense has been straight up embarrassing. The Spartans currently rank 113th in the nation in yards allowed per game, giving up an average of 445.5. The passing defense ranks 122nd.

Every week features blown coverages, missed tackles and a lack of production from the front-seven. Opposing quarterbacks consistently look like Heisman contenders when facing the Spartans’ secondary.

Now, let’s not get too rose-tinted with our memories of the Dantonio era. While his defense was consistently strong, the other side of the ball was occasionally putrid. Any fan that watched MSU’s 7-6 loss to Oregon in the RedBox Bowl can attest to just how grotesque Dantonio’s offense was at its worst.

Despite winning multiple Big Ten titles and making the college football playoffs, Dantonio couldn’t seem to gather any sort of steam in recruiting. From 2017-19, the last three years of his tenure, MSU finished 36th, 31st and

31st, respectively, in national recruiting.

Those mediocre years of recruiting and losing provide context to just how tough of a rebuild Tucker had when he was hired back in 2020. With a global pandemic just a month into his tenure it makes a lot of sense that Tucker is still struggling for stability in his third year with the program.

In Tucker’s second year as head coach, Michigan State had a magical season. Spurred on by ex-junior running back Kenneth Walker III, the Spartans clawed their way to a 10-2 regular season record and a New Year’s Six bowl win.

As impressive as that year was, it warped expectations for the program. All memories of Michigan State’s 2-5 season in 2020 seemed to fade away with each win. Heading into the 2022 season, a 2-3 start to the season was almost unimaginable for fans and media alike.

Tucker’s first game as head coach was a 38-27 loss to Rutgers. That team was full of MAC-level talent (just look at where MSU players transferred to in Tucker’s first two seasons). The transfer portal has certainly helped him turn around the roster quickly, but it’s not

magic. Tucker needs time to make Michigan State his own. But excuses only go so far.

Michigan State isn’t losing nail-biters thanks to a few small mistakes. The team isn’t 2-4 because of just a few sloppy mistakes. They aren’t playing Ohio State every weekend. It’s not “death by inches,” as Tucker is fond of saying.

Back in 2016, when Michigan State collapsed and went 3-9, when the games were far more competitive. MSU was a two-point attempt away from upsetting a top-10 Ohio State team at home. That year featured only two real blowouts: a 30-6 loss to Wisconsin and 45-12 loss to Penn State.

Photo by Chloe Trofatter

Sophomore cornerback Charles Brantley, 0, tackles his Buckeye opponent during the match on Oct. 8. Photo by Olivia Hans